The US-Ireland Alliance has removed the name of former Senator George Mitchell from their scholarship programme due to his links with the late disgraced financier and convicted child sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein.
Epstein was first arrested in 2006 and convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor. Mr Mitchell said on multiple occasions that he had no contact with Epstein following his conviction.
However, the latest release of the Epstein files contains numerous emails between assistants to Mr Mitchell and Epstein organising meetings between the two men in 2010 and 2013.
As they appear to show contact between the two men long after Epstein's 2008 conviction, which Mr Mitchell had denied on multiple occasions, the US-Ireland Alliance has decided to remove his name from their scholarship programme.
George J Mitchell Scholarship - which send US post graduate students to Irish Universities - was set up to honour Mr Mitchell, now 92, for his work on chairing the talks that produced the Good Friday Agreement.
"We are extremely proud of the programme and the scholars, and this turn of events in no way diminishes their achievements or our commitment to keeping them connected to the island, the Alliance, and each other," said founder and president of the US-Ireland Alliance Trina Vargo.
"This decision allows us to focus on our mission to strengthen the ties between the US and the island of Ireland. Given the current state of the relationship, that is more important than ever," added Ms Vargo.
Ms Vargo noted that, in the short term, the Alliance will refer to the Scholars as the US-Ireland Alliance Scholars.
Established in 1998, the scholarship programme sends American students to Ireland and Northern Ireland for a year of graduate study, but it is currently paused as the Alliance seeks to raise an endowment for the programme.
Ms Vargo asked for patience as it will take some time for the Alliance to have conversations with many stakeholders, including the programs alums, the Irish Government, supporters, and others before it updates its website, social media accounts and other official channels to reflect the change in the scholarship name.
The Alliance said in 2024 that the Irish Government had committed to match any funds that are raised for the endowment up to €20 million.
